Garage door



April 21, 1931. E. L. BINKS 1,801,897

GARAGE DOOR Filed Nov. 21, 1929 INVENTOR EXLEY Leann/w B/NKS Patented Apr. 21,1931

EXLEY LEDGARD rin s. or VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA GARAGE v noon Application filed November 21; 1929. Serial No. 408,870.

is capable of being unfastened as the bumper of the car makes contact with the door, as will be more fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in which F ig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a garage showing. the auxiliary door in open position;

Fig. 2 is a plan View showing a portion of the door and door frame. A

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the door showing the bolt operating crank. I

Fig. 4; is a fragmentary view of the door showing the bell crank movement operating the bolts.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates generally a garage having a front wall '2 provided with a door frame 3 to which the usual outwardly hung doors 4 are fitted. The numeral 5 indicates an end wall to the garage. Extending rear- Wardly from the door frame is a pair of overhead tracks 6 spaced apart preferably the width of the door opening and which are inclined towards the rear of the garage.

A pair ofendwise movable carriages 7 are mounted upon the tracks 6 and from these carriages an auxiliary door 8 is suspended. This door is of a slightly greater width than the door opening and is adapted to close against theinside of the frame 3 as shown in dotted line in Figure 1 and in full line in Figure 2. Pivotally mounted outside and adjacent the lower edge of the door area pair of arms 9 and between these is a bell crank 10, all of which rock on a commoncentre and may be connected together to insure simultaneous operation through a rocking shaft 11. The upper leg'12 of the bell crank 10 and the free ends of the arms 9 are con nected together by a horizontal rail 13 which is disposed at the height of the bumper of the car which is to operate the device.

The substantially horizontal leg'14 of the bell crank 10 is forked and projects through the door adjacent its horizontal centre to engage the horizontal leg 15' of a double bell crank 16, which crank is pivotally mounted on the inside of the door and is adapted to be rocked in a plane parallel thereto. The bell crank 16 is provided with upper and lower legs '17 and 18 respectively from the free ends of which, wires 19 extend in a substantially horizontal direction outwards to a pair of spring pressed latch bolts 20 of any suitable type which are secured to the door adjacent its side edges and are adapted to engage suitable keepers 21 mounted upon the jambsof the frame 3 to lock the door in closed position. A stop 22 is secured to the door and is adapted to be engaged by oneof the legs of the double bell crank 16. v I

Secured to the door between a lug 23 and the upper leg 17 of the bell crank 16 is a relatively strong tension spring 24 attached to a threaded rod 25 having a nut 26 which adapted to be turned to increase or de crease the "tension on the spring 24/ The tension of the spring 24 is so adjusted as torequire more than manual effort to move the rail 13 towards the door.-

Having thus described the several parts .of my invention I will now briefly explain its operation.

When the garage is occupied by a car the auxiliary door 8is suspended between it and he rear end of the garage and the rail 13 is in contact with the bumperof the car. As the car is backed out of the garage, the door; being suspended from the inclined track 6, follows the car by gravity and as it comes to rest in contact with the frame 3 the bolts 20 latch into engagement with the keepers 21 to latch the door. 7 i

The ordinary doors may be left open if desired, sinceaccesstothe garage is prevented by the locked auxiliary door 8.

The car on being returned to the garage is slowly driven towards the auxiliary door 8 and as its bumper engages the rail 13 to force it towards the door, the bell crank 10 is rocked to depress the leg 15 of the double bell crank 16, thus rocking said bell crank and withdrawing the bolts 20 from their keepers 21 so that the door may be moved inwards by the car as it enters the garage. When the car is properly housed, the doors 4 may be closed and latched in the usual way.

It will thus be seen that the motorist whose garage is fitted with my invention is relieved of the necessity of closing the doors of his garage as he drives his car out or of getting out of the car to obtain access to the garage on returning, and that during his absence with the car, the garage is suitably closed and latched. and his possessions therei n are protected against theft.

lVhile I have shown the door 8 suspended on movable carriages fitted to inclined tracks 6, and have shown a preferred bell crank assembly fitted to the door, it will be obvious that equally effective working of the invention would be obtained by suspending the door from level tracks, and providing counterweights or other devices to cause it to be drawn towards the door frame and also by varying the train of devices and connections between the rail 13 and the bolt 20, so that any such change would be strictly within the scope and spirit of the invention and the appended claims.

lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a garage door mounted for movement inwards along a track extending at right angles from a door frame, a bolt for latching the door to the frame, and means carried upon the outside of the door adapted to be actuated by an advancing vehicle for withdrawing the bolt.

2. The combination with a a cor and door frame, a track extending substantially at right angles from the f ame. a carriage supporting the door, said carriage being endwise movable upon the track, means for latching the door in closed position against the frame, and means extending outwardly from said door adapted to be engaged by an advancing car to release the latching means.

3. In a garage having a door closable on the inside of a door frame, a track extending from said frame, a carriage endwise movable upon the t 'ack supporting the door, sai d door being adapted to be moved inwards into the garage in advance of an entering car, and means for returning the door and latching it in closed position as the car is removed from the garage.

4. The combination with a garage door and frame, a door supporting track along which the door is adapted to be urged by an entering vehicle, said track e2: endin from the frame and being inclined upwardly therefrom whereby the door is caused to gravitate towards the frame on the outward movement of the vehicle.

5. The combination with a garage door and frame, a door supporting track along which the door is adapted to be urged to open, by an entering vehicle, and a latch for said door comprising a retractible bolt adapted to engage a keeper, a tensioned member carried by and movable towards the door, and connecting devices between the member and the bolt for withdrawing said bolt from its keeper as the member is moved towards the door.

6. The combination with a garage door and frame, a door supporting track along which the door is adapted to be urged to open by an entering vehicle, and alatch forsaiddoorcomprising a rctractilzle bolt adapted to engage a keeper, a tensioned member carried by and movable towards the door, a bell crank operatively connecting the bolt and the member whereby the movement of the member towards the door withdraws the bolt from its keeper to unlatch the door.

7. The combination with a garage door and frame, a door supporting track along which the door is adapted to be urged to open by an entering vehicle, and a latch for said door comprising a retractible bolt adapted to engage a keeper, a tensioned member carried by and movable towards the door, and connecting devices between the member and the bolt for withdrawing said bolt from its keeper as the member is moved towards the door, and means for varying the tension on the member.

Dated at Vancouver, B. C., this 7th day of October, 1929.

EXLEY LEDGARD BINKS. 

